My recent video

I just got my Phantom 3A about a week ago and had the opportunity to try it out along the northern coast of California. Amazing piece of technology. here is the video I made I would appreciate any suggestions or critiques.

That is a beautiful area. With a bright, sunny day (use a ND filter) it would be spectacular. Some types of cloudy days can also be dramatic. You have probably noticed your prop guards in the picture. You will want to keep those and your props out of the frame for a professional effort. One of the hardest parts is getting pans smooth and jerk free. Editing can remove a jerky start. You can adjust your gimbal speed. I find 30% gives smooth, slow gimbal panning. Dual movement, like panning down while climbing, or panning while flying sideways can make dramatic video. Try flying backward while filming (be sure you are high enough to avoid obstacles). You must have seen many beautiful drone videos on YouTube. Editing is very important. Keep shots under 10 seconds to keep your viewers interest. Keep your overall video under 5 minutes.There are also specific videos online to show you techniques. Do some research. Then, when you have learned the basics, practice, practice, practice.

That is a beautiful area. With a bright, sunny day (use a ND filter) it would be spectacular. Some types of cloudy days can also be dramatic. You have probably noticed your prop guards in the picture. You will want to keep those and your props out of the frame for a professional effort. One of the hardest parts is getting pans smooth and jerk free. Editing can remove a jerky start. You can adjust your gimbal speed. I find 30% gives smooth, slow gimbal panning. Dual movement, like panning down while climbing, or panning while flying sideways can make dramatic video. Try flying backward while filming (be sure you are high enough to avoid obstacles). You must have seen many beautiful drone videos on YouTube. Editing is very important. Keep shots under 10 seconds to keep your viewers interest. Keep your overall video under 5 minutes.There are also specific videos online to show you techniques. Do some research. Then, when you have learned the basics, practice, practice, practice.

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Great advice! thanks. Especially on the panning ideas. I did reduce the gimbal speed but did it afterwards. My wife also said the video was too long. One of my problems is deciding what to cut out. Much of this was done blind in that I am having lots of trouble with glare on my tablet. I just got some sun shades which will hopefully reduce that problem.

Great advice! thanks. Especially on the panning ideas. I did reduce the gimbal speed but did it afterwards. My wife also said the video was too long. One of my problems is deciding what to cut out. Much of this was done blind in that I am having lots of trouble with glare on my tablet. I just got some sun shades which will hopefully reduce that problem.

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I think when most of us see the incredible video from our drones we sort of fall in love with it. We don't want to discard any of it. Surely everyone will like it as much as we do? Actually, they don't. We need critical people like our wives to give us an honest, objective opinion. It hurts to edit stuff out, I know. But the average YouTube viewer spends only about 3 minutes with a video. To get longer views it really has to be spectacular. With time and experience you will learn to recognize your best clips.

I have an iPad Mini 4 and a DJI sun shield and still have lots of glare. I even tried a pricey Hoodman, which cut out all the light but had other major shortcomings. I'm still trying to solve that problem.

With motivation and practice you will become better in time. Keep working at it.

I think when most of us see the incredible video from our drones we sort of fall in love with it. We don't want to discard any of it. Surely everyone will like it as much as we do? Actually, they don't. We need critical people like our wives to give us an honest, objective opinion. It hurts to edit stuff out, I know. But the average YouTube viewer spends only about 3 minutes with a video. To get longer views it really has to be spectacular. With time and experience you will learn to recognize your best clips.

I have an iPad Mini 4 and a DJI sun shield and still have lots of glare. I even tried a pricey Hoodman, which cut out all the light but had other major shortcomings. I'm still trying to solve that problem.

With motivation and practice you will become better in time. Keep working at it.

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Yeah, looking at the video created I tend to think everyone will love it, but I agree ... not so. I keep thinking isn't this amazing that you can get literally get a birds eye view from unusual places. But I need to budget myself on length of vids, as you say, like five minutes. Glad to hear I'm not the only one with glare issues. Btw, I just ordered the ND filters 4,8,16,32, now that i figured out how to remove the existing lens that comes with it.

Yeah, looking at the video created I tend to think everyone will love it, but I agree ... not so. I keep thinking isn't this amazing that you can get literally get a birds eye view from unusual places. But I need to budget myself on length of vids, as you say, like five minutes. Glad to hear I'm not the only one with glare issues. Btw, I just ordered the ND filters 4,8,16,32, now that i figured out how to remove the existing lens that comes with it.

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Surprisingly, a lot of people have trouble with it. The secret is to use less pressure, not more. Using heavy pressure slightly deforms the very thin metal of the filter, making it almost impossible to remove without damage. Gentle, even pressure with your fingertips is all you really need. Some people have used a rubber band with success. That provides an even, gentle pressure around the entire diameter of the filter ring.